The use of network attached devices continues to grow, and new types of network attached devices are constantly being developed. Typically, a network device will have one or more network interfaces, and each network interface must be uniquely identified in order for data packets to be delivered to the appropriate interface. For Ethernet networks, the unique identification comprises a MAC (Media Access Control) address. As is known in the art, MAC addresses are 48 bits in length and are typically expressed as 12 hexadecimal digits. The first 6 hexadecimal digits, which are administered by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), identify the manufacturer or vendor and thus comprise the Organizational Unique Identifier (OUI). The last 6 hexadecimal digits comprise the interface serial number.
For Fibre Channel networks, the unique identification comprises a WWN (World Wide Name) that can be further typed as a WWNN (World Wide Node Name) or a WWPN (World Wide Port Name).
In earlier network attached devices, there was typically a single interface to a network, so only one unique identifier was required. However, now it is common for network attached devices to have multiple network interfaces. Further, network attached devices can have both external network interfaces that attach to networks outside of the device and internal network interfaces that manage communications between nodes internal to the device. Each of the network interfaces require a unique identifier.
In previous systems, these unique network interface identifiers were burned into a ROM (Read Only Memory) at the time the interface was manufactured. Newer devices provide a means for dynamically assigning network interface identifiers such as MAC addresses and WWNs. However, these systems do not provide a mechanism for automatically assigning unique network interface identifiers to each of a plurality of network nodes internal to the device. As a result, there is a need in the art for the present invention.